Cornbread Maxwell wrote:And finally, you guys can use the addition by subtration theory all you want - good luck with that. We just got a 28-29 yo 100+mph flamethrower with control issues for a 25yo prospect who hits the low 90s on his fastball and has control issues and was never projected to be anything more than a setup man - one day - possibly.

But, somehow the Cubs got the better deal?

I would question whether Farnsworth will turn out to be the '100 MPH flamethrower or not'. I HAVE seen him be one of those occasionally but, when he's off, he doesn't throw the same way. He goes for the corners, misses and gets behind in the counts and walks people. During 'ReliefGate', there wasn't ANYBODY I though would turn into a closer more than Farnsworth and he never did get it together consistently. I don't know if it's because he feels something physical, and elects not to 'push it' or if it's all in his head. The fan probably is confident it's in his head but the fan was totalled out and is in a landfill somewhere.

Cornbread Maxwell wrote:The reason Benitez is labeled a bad closer isnt because of his stats. Its because he had a history of blowing saves in crucial situations - something that doesnt really express itself in the final tallies. He's a good closer, but I can think of about 15 other closers Id rate ahead of him in important situations.

And finally, you guys can use the addition by subtration theory all you want - good luck with that. We just got a 28-29 yo 100+mph flamethrower with control issues for a 25yo prospect who hits the low 90s on his fastball and has control issues and was never projected to be anything more than a setup man - one day - possibly.

But, somehow the Cubs got the better deal?

You sure are highly optimistic about Kyle Farnsworth. The guy had one good year. Nothing else. Hes as inconsistent as they come. He can't be trusted to hold any lead or keep the game tied. He can't control his pitches. This was basically a nothing for nothing trade. Enjoy watching Farnsworth like Cubs fans had to bear through the past 6 years.

Cornbread Maxwell wrote:The reason Benitez is labeled a bad closer isnt because of his stats. Its because he had a history of blowing saves in crucial situations - something that doesnt really express itself in the final tallies. He's a good closer, but I can think of about 15 other closers Id rate ahead of him in important situations.

And finally, you guys can use the addition by subtration theory all you want - good luck with that. We just got a 28-29 yo 100+mph flamethrower with control issues for a 25yo prospect who hits the low 90s on his fastball and has control issues and was never projected to be anything more than a setup man - one day - possibly.

But, somehow the Cubs got the better deal?

You sure are highly optimistic about Kyle Farnsworth. The guy had one good year. Nothing else. Hes as inconsistent as they come. He can't be trusted to hold any lead or keep the game tied. He can't control his pitches. This was basically a nothing for nothing trade. Enjoy watching Farnsworth like Cubs fans had to bear through the past 6 years.

Cornbread Maxwell wrote:The reason Benitez is labeled a bad closer isnt because of his stats. Its because he had a history of blowing saves in crucial situations - something that doesnt really express itself in the final tallies. He's a good closer, but I can think of about 15 other closers Id rate ahead of him in important situations.

And finally, you guys can use the addition by subtration theory all you want - good luck with that. We just got a 28-29 yo 100+mph flamethrower with control issues for a 25yo prospect who hits the low 90s on his fastball and has control issues and was never projected to be anything more than a setup man - one day - possibly.

But, somehow the Cubs got the better deal?

You sure are highly optimistic about Kyle Farnsworth. The guy had one good year. Nothing else. Hes as inconsistent as they come. He can't be trusted to hold any lead or keep the game tied. He can't control his pitches. This was basically a nothing for nothing trade. Enjoy watching Farnsworth like Cubs fans had to bear through the past 6 years.

And Sosa had only one bad year. There goes your logic.

What the deuce are you talking about? I didn't say a single word about Sosa. The problem with him was his selfish attitude, his obvious decline, and his clubhouse chemistry. Thats why they traded him for peanuts. Im not a Sosa hater, hes the greatest player to ever play in Cubbie pinstripes, but its very obvious hes not going to be worth the 17 million hes getting paid, and the numbers aren't worth the whining, complaining, and craptacular average.

Cornbread Maxwell wrote:The reason Benitez is labeled a bad closer isnt because of his stats. Its because he had a history of blowing saves in crucial situations - something that doesnt really express itself in the final tallies. He's a good closer, but I can think of about 15 other closers Id rate ahead of him in important situations.

And finally, you guys can use the addition by subtration theory all you want - good luck with that. We just got a 28-29 yo 100+mph flamethrower with control issues for a 25yo prospect who hits the low 90s on his fastball and has control issues and was never projected to be anything more than a setup man - one day - possibly.

But, somehow the Cubs got the better deal?

You sure are highly optimistic about Kyle Farnsworth. The guy had one good year. Nothing else. Hes as inconsistent as they come. He can't be trusted to hold any lead or keep the game tied. He can't control his pitches. This was basically a nothing for nothing trade. Enjoy watching Farnsworth like Cubs fans had to bear through the past 6 years.

no - Im not really that optimisic about him. I dont think he is the next best thing or anything along those lines. Basically I see the deal as a wash when timeline is considered - Novoa can be as good as Farns sometime in the future, maybe even better, well see. I was actually pretty excited about Novoa in that he might even crack our roster sometime this yr - maybe. We have about 4-5 similarly projected MR guys like him in our organization. What I do think is that Farnsworth will be able to contribute immediately. He isnt our setup man - He probably isnt even our 7th inning guy - I expect both Rodney or German to be better pitchers for the 7th. All this trade does is strengthen the weakest link of our team for the immediate future until our youngsters step up. I do think Farnsworth is better than Al Levine or Estaban Yan - those are the guys who's position he will fill in now. He wont be used heavily by any means - a nice fit for us for '05. Hope that clears things up.